RTT: Books, British Banter, & Bob Cratchit

• Cookie Dough Truffles??  Yes, please.
• Yesterday, I emptied out FIVE more boxes.  Two of them were moving boxes of a strength that is no longer used by the moving companies.  I believe they date from 1993 or earlier.  The handwriting on them is Dad’s, and it reads: Pre-Teen Books, Nov. 2000.  As in, “Ooh, great, you had a kid!  Take a couple of boxes from our basement!”  I totally get that, because my boys will get boxes in the exact same manner some day.  Anywho, now that I almost have a preteen (okay, technically they’re both “preteen,” but Nicolas is almost ten…ack!), I tore into the boxes.  Oh my, the treasures within!  The Phantom Tollbooth.  Sideways Stories From Wayside School.  Several Choose Your Own Adventures.  Bobbsey Twins.  Nancy Drew.  Laura Ingalls.  The Velveteen Rabbit.  Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret.  The complete set of TimeLife’s Wild, Wild World of Animals.  And so many more.  The boys are going nuts for them.  (Um, except for Margaret.  And the one about a teenaged girl who gets raped.  I took those of the stash.)
• My kitchen table is covered with books.  Cov-ered.
• What is it about British television productions that are so entrancing?  We love them.  The past few nights, Jason and I have been watching Lord Peter and Harriet banter eloquently.  My parents introduced me to them when I was at their house last summer, and I was thrilled to find them on Netflix’s instant queue.  I can’t decide whether to show him Bleak House (Gillian Anderson is crazy good in it.)  or The Scarlet Pimpernel (with Bob Cratchit!) next.  Both will probably have to wait awhile, because he wants to catch up on Oscar nominees.
• As I mentioned above, Nicolas is turning ten next month.  Ten!  Ten.  Really??  That’s double digits.  I distinctly remember turning ten.  Wow.
• I do not feel grown up enough to have a ten-year-old.

Testing…

Just a little photo test…enjoy the image of Mr. Handsome von Smirksalot…

ETA…okay, that didn’t work.  Anyone know how to properly save a rounded-corner photo so the pointed corners don’t show up?  I’ve tried gifs and pngs…no luck…

Winter Day

It seems Mother Nature has chosen to give our share of winter (and then some) to the mid-Atlantic states this year.  Today, Seattle had a high of 55° F, blue skies, and puffy white clouds, so we loaded up the car, drove by KFC, and spent a couple of hours at one of the many area parks.

Our main goal, besides enjoying the gorgeous weather, was to get the kids closer to riding their bikes.  I’m sure there are plenty of parents out there who would be aghast to find that our almost-ten-year-old can’t ride a bike to save his life.  Meh.  To them I’d like to say this: you try teaching a kid with Sensory Processing Disorder (highly impacting his vestibular sense, aka balance) whose favorite word is “can’t” and who reacts to stressful situations by crying and shutting down, to ride a bike before he’s damn well ready, and then come back and tell me what you think.

Anywho, I found an article here that I like an awful lot, which mentions scootering as a precursor to bike riding.  It makes a lot of sense, and we decided that encouraging both boys to become proficient on their scooters first seems imminently reasonable.  So off we went.

After a bit of jumping around (and a very Spring-like chicken picnic), Dad demonstrated:

Jason says that’s going to be his new Facebook profile pic.  Love it!  (It’s almost as good as the photo I have of him golfing with a toddler club a few years back.  I wonder where that is…)

And they were off!  We were amazed at the difference in their riding skills from the last time we tried.  Said last time was over a year ago, and it included frustration, a few tears, and giving up very quickly.  It put all of us off trying again for quite a while.  I’m pretty sure the three recesses a day and resulting hours of climbing on the playground equipment might have something to do with their increased gross motor skills.  (Note to the state of Georgia: Recess DOES have a positive impact on children.)

….

(Heather, see that tongue sticking out?  He’s really concentrating!)

…

And moms everywhere will understand the significance of this.  I had Jason take a photo of me with the boys.  I’m actually going to appear in the scrapbook with my children.

RTT: Big Bang, Blooming & Boxes

• The Big Bang Theory is absolutely hilarious.  Uber-intelligent humor – who woulda thunkit?  Bazinga!
• For the record, while I agree Jim Parsons is hilarious and brilliant, I think Johnny Galecki’s work is under appreciated, and it seems like he’s acting in Parsons’s shadow when you read reviews and look at award nominations.  Maybe I’m biased because I know more “Leonards” in real life than “Sheldons,” maybe it’s just that I’ve always been a fan of the straight man, or maybe I’m right.  (Stranger things have happened.)
• I spray painted the Ikea-door-turned-headboard last week, but we haven’t hung it yet.  I can’t decide whether or not to add a coat of poly.
• I have got to stop drinking coffee in the evenings.  Caffeine never used to affect me like this, but I couldn’t fall asleep until after 2:30 this morning after having a cup when the kids went to bed.  I could just bite the bullet and buy some decaf.  Duh.
• Second Blooming is one of my new favorite blogs, found courtesy of Random Tuesday Thoughts, and thanks to Gretchen, I am now craving bacon.  Badly.
• Our den has exploded.  There have been boxes stacked in here for months, and we tore into them this weekend.  The good news is that we have a couple more of bags full of paper recycling, a couple more boxes filled with garage sale stuff, and – although the room generally looks much worse than it did Saturday morning – there is a light at the end of the tunnel room.  (And I don’t mean the daylight currently streaming through the sliding glass door.)  The bad news is that I have two more boxes of craft supplies for which I need to find a home.

Aimee Reads: The Untamed Bride

Pertinent Info

The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Avon, 2009)
I read it January 29, 2010.
First in The Black Cobra Quartet, of course (if you’re a Laurens fan) revisiting characters from The Bastion Club and members of the Cynster family.

Why’d I read it?

I am a Laurens fan.

What I thought

Stephanie Laurens writes unapologetically steamy romances with strong, sensitive men and strong, willful women.  All of her books are tied together, with an extensive family tree a necessity to remind me of the connections.  I am never disappointed when I give up an afternoon or evening to one of her novels.  The romance in this particular story was straight forward, with the conflict left where I prefer it – good guys vs. bad guys.  I’m always disappointed when a novel relies upon one of the characters’ belief in their own shortcoming to provide the conflict.  While Delia, the heroine, has some understandable self-doubts, they are quickly (maybe a little too quickly?  Eh, who cares…) resolved when she meets the women of the extended Cynster family.  Kindred spirits.

In short, a fun, quick read.  I don’t put too much thought into my Guilty Pleasure Books (historical romances); when I read them, I just want to be whisked back in time for a few hours.  This certainly did the trick.

Would I recommend it?

If you’re a fan of steamy or series historicals, sure!

Aimee Reads: Luncheon of the Boating Party

Pertinent Info

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland (Viking Penguin, 2007)
I finished it January 29, 2010.
The author’s story behind the painting of Renoir’s famous work.

Why’d I read it?

Book Club!  I got the reminder email on Monday, squeaked in dismay that I’d forgotten to read the book, and immediately reserved it at the library.  It became available Thursday morning; book club was Thursday night.  I got to page 357 and still managed to read more than anyone else in the group.  I was one of only two who were enjoying it.

What I thought

As I said above, I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed it immensely, as a matter of fact.  It has so much to recommend it: art, Paris (le sigh), French cuisine, love, and beautiful language.  I didn’t know what to expect going in.  The other ladies in Book Club had said over email that they couldn’t get into it, but the rave reviews on the back of the library copy were from authors I quite like, and I’ve loved several other books of the same theme by Tracy Chevalier (The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Lady and the Unicorn).  I decided to hold my breath and jump in.

As often happens when I read a new author, it took me a few pages to get used to the voice.  By the end of Chapter One, La Vie Moderne, however, I was hooked.  The language is a bit on the flowery side, but just a bit, and it’s entirely appropriate to the feel of the story and the setting.  In my opinion, it only enhances the telling.  The characters are engaging, and Renoir’s view of the world is exactly how I imagine an artist of his talent’s to be.

Just as interesting as the story of the painting itself is the background into the ups and downs of the Impressionist movement.  I may be biased, after all the Impressionists are by far my favorite painters, but I found it fascinating.  (Note to high school French teachers everywhere: This is a much more engaging way to educate your students on French art than making them memorize artists, paintings, and birth-death dates.  I’m just saying.)

Favorite Lines

“He felt as giddy as he had as a youth the moment before touching the first breast offered to him.”

“Do you think the people on that boat are slipping through their lives without noticing how excruciatingly beautiful everything is?”

“Her moment of keenest sorrow sucked the breath out of her.”

Would I recommend it?

Obviously, that’s a big, fat Yes.  Now please excuse me while I go reserve the author’s other novels at the library…

Showing Off

Just showing off one of my favorite Christmas presents this year.  Mom found this key at a bead show + Mom knows I have a thing for antique keys = Aimee gets a necklace for Christmas.  (Yay!)

How cool is that?  The artist works the glass around the key while it’s over the flame.  Lovely!

Mom packaged it for me without a chain, with the thought that I would choose a cord from her stash after I opened it.  When we saw her new gunmetal wire next to the key, though, we knew it was perfect, and she spent several hours making me a custom chain.

At the risk of repeating myself, I ask again: How cool is that?  Not only did she make the varying rings sizes like I envisioned, she used a hook closure, so I can adjust the length, and attached the key to the chain with hooks, so I can move it to the center after lengthening or shortening the chain.  Ingenious.

Merry Christmas to me!

RTT: Friends, Floral Arrangements, and Family Visits

• My friend/college buddy/savior who kept me singing [mostly] in key during many a Chorale performance*, Beth, emailed me this morning to talk about fabric for a pelmet.  Goody!  I think she’s going with this one, and I’m excited for her, and a little jealous, because it’s gorgeous and inexpensive, and I don’t have any rooms it would work in.  Except maybe this one…unpacked moving boxes are just the right shade of brown to coordinate with that natural background, don’t you think?  (Plus, hello, it’s fire retardant!  That’s one worry right off the list.  No flaming pelmet at Beth’s house, no ma’am.)
• Thrifting find of the day: at the thrift store next door to the drug store where Kalen’s prescription was being filled (I know, dangerous, right?), I found a vintage Flower Fashioner™ for 99 cents.  (U.S. Pat. #2,651,422 – 1953 – how cool!)  I have grand hopes for beautious floral arrangements.  I’ll keep you posted.

Hasn’t it held up beautifully over the past 50-ish years?

• Mom and Dad are coming to visit in a few weeks.  I’m so excited, mostly to see them, but also because it gives me a nice little kick in the pants to get some things accomplished around the house.
• Speaking of which, I have to make a great big to do list!  I love lists.  How do you think I should organize it?  Order of importance, or room by room?  I’m leaning towards room by room, because I tend to think geographically, and it’s hard to prioritize a whole house at once.
• I am thoroughly obsessed with this song right now.  I listen to it over and over in the car and sing it all day long in my head.  Love the piano in it.  Someone in the YouTube comments mentioned wanting it played at their funeral.  What a great idea.  (Take note, Honey.)

*I fully admit to having slouched dramatically several times during riser assignments to take off the three inches of height separating Beth and me.  Not only is she an excellent singer (which helps my pretty darned poor pitch), she’s a lot of fun, too – and a gem for having put up with standing next to someone with pretty darned poor pitch for several years.

Thrifty Decorating: Finding the Fabric

Since posting the results of my first foray into pelmet-making last week, I’ve been thinking about writing a post like this.  I think too often we are paralyzed by decorating fear.  We wait to make changes to our homes, because we don’t want to invest a lot of time and money in a home we’re renting, or into one we’ll be selling in just a few years.  Here’s the thing, though: this is your home.  Wherever you live now is home; why wait for someday to make home feel special?  You can do little, inexpensive things that won’t upset your landlord or cost so much that you mind leaving it behind for the next owner, if they want it.

That pelmet is proof.  It took me half a day and about $24, with the cost spread over a couple of months.  (If I’d bought all the bits and pieces without coupons, it still would have come in around $40…tres inexpensive when you’re talking custom window treatments.)  We can take it with us when we move; it will fit over any double window and will look great in a kids’ room, craft room, game room, or guest room.

There are so many other things you can do with fabric to spruce up a room.  Recover a $2 garage sale chair.  (I’ll get to it one of these days.)  Make a throw pillow.  Use your hot glue gun and a few upholstery tacks to mistreat a window.  The trick, if you’re on a super-thrifty budget, is finding the fabric for the right price.

Before you start shopping, you need to prepare your mind; know what you’re looking for.  If you have a specific project in mind, know approximately how much fabric you’ll need.  Guesstimates are fine.  (Just add a 1/2 yard, in case you’re off!)  Have an idea what colors and patterns will work in the room.  Don’t get hung up on matching the fabric with other pieces in your room.  Coordinating ≠ matching.  You may be surprised at just how many different, unmatched, colors and textures will look good together.

For example, take Jenny’s daughters’ room, which I linked to in the pelmet post:

Photo: Little Green Notebook

This is a gorgeous room.  Look a little closer…at the throw pillow the doll is leaning against.  Would you have thought a brocade pillow in that yellowy-green shade would have “gone with” the busy, jewel-toned headboard and the turquoise nightstand?  Neither would I.  But it coordinates, and beautifully!  Think beyond what you “know” about colors.  Just like every piece of furniture or wood in a room does not need to be the same color (now there’s a myth I’m eager to stamp out!), every fabric doesn’t have to have the of same color scheme.

Okay, now that I’ve thrown you for a loop, it’s time to shop.  You could do what I did – fall in love with one fabric and keep checking on it until it goes on clearance.  However, I lucked out; you might be waiting years if you go with that plan…or miss out on it completely.  Instead, I suggest keeping your options open and shopping around.

Fabric and Upholstery Stores

Obvious answer!  Remnant bins at fabric and upholstery stores can be a goldmine.  You have to dig, but end-of-bolt savings can be the answer to that perfect, affordable bit of fabric you’re looking for.

Discount Stores

Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls…no, they don’t sell fabric, but they sell curtains, table cloths and shower curtains – cheap!  What are curtains, table cloths and shower curtains made of?

Fabric!  In the same vein, check out the clearance aisles at places like Target and Ikea.

Thrift Stores

Yep, you can find fabric and craft supplies at almost every thrift store.  Sometimes it will be actual cut fabric, straight off the bolt, and sometimes it will be in the form of curtains or sheets.  Again, this involves digging, but the deals are unbeatable.

Online

There are several online fabric stores, and they all have clearance sections.  Fabric.com is one I’ve heard good things about.  Craigslist and Freecycle are worth checking out, too.  I once got a huge bag of upholstery remnants on Freecycle.  I ended up re-Freecycling them to another member when I discovered that none of them were quite my style, but all I was out was the gas to go pick them up in the first place – a worthwhile gamble, I believe.

So what do you think?  Have I missed any great resources for inexpensive fabric?  Do you find yourself in the mood to spiff up a space you’ve been afraid to tackle?

(P.S. I’m linking up to DIY Day over at Kimba’s!)

I Feel Calmer Already

Before:

After:

A good day’s work.

ETA: After a good night’s sleep, it occurs to me that the above pictures could be misconstrued.  My newfound calmness in the room has to do with the paint color on the walls, not the lack of children romping on my bed.  (Although, if we’re being totally honest here, that certainly helps.)